PART 3: J-Talks: Godzilla Edition – Care & Consumption with Gabriel Coronado

November 20, 2024
Online via Zoom
Registration Closed

In honor of Godzilla’s 70th anniversary, this year’s J-Talk Webinars are a series of interviews that center around the themes of Care & Consumption in relation to the King of the Monsters origins, history and cultural impact. Our third and final installment of the J-Talks: Godzilla Edition webinar series will happen on Wednesday, November, 20th at 7:00pm online via Zoom with Gabriel Coronado (pronouns: he/him), lifelong Godzilla fan & President of the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program Alumni Association - Chicago. The 2024 J-Talks Webinar Series - Godzilla Edition is supported in partnership with the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) - Young Professionals Caucus (YPC) of the Midwest District Council (MDC).

Join us as we connect with JET alumni and members of the US-Japan community about how we interact with Japanese culture and how our perception evolves over time.

  • RSVP Required via Guestlist.
  • This open to the public including our fellow JET Alumni and our Friends of JET (FOJ).
  • Mark your calendars! Please keep checking this Guestlist event page and follow our social media channels (Facebook & Instagram @jetaachicago) for updates and speaker bios to come - also, be on the look out for Zoom webinar details that will be sent in a follow-up email on the day-of the event.
  • We hope you can join us for the live event as there is not a guarantee that this webinar will be recorded. We will only record at the discretion of our speakers and organizers. If recorded, it'll be shared with registered attendees/RSVPs.

Featured Speaker: Gabriel Coronado (pronouns: he/him)

Born and raised in a mixed race family on the southwest side of Chicago, Gabriel Coronado has been watching Godzilla films as long as he can remember. Thanks to a father who spent his own childhood watching the original Showa era Godzilla  films, Gabe grew up with all of the classic Godzilla films on VHS that his family could find. The interest in Godzilla inspired a broader curiosity about Japan’s culture and history and led him to pursue studying Japanese language and literature at Whitney M. Young High School and DePaul University.

After spending a year post-undergrad on the Japan Exchange and Teaching(JET) Program in southern Japan, Gabe returned to Chicago and found a career in event production, project management and community impact programming. Eventually, he became involved in the JET Program Alumni Association of Chicago as a volunteer helping at events before becoming President in 2019. As a leader in the local Japan-America community for the last 5 years, Gabe works hard to build community through mutual respect and understanding of other cultures.

Random G-Fan Facts about Gabe:

  • Favorite Kaiju - Anguirus
  • Favorite Godzilla films - Minus One, Godzilla Vs. Biollante
  • Favorite Non-film Godzilla Media - Marc Cerasini Novel Series
  • Favorite Non-Godzilla Kaiju films - Rodan (1956), Gamera Heisei Trilogy

About our Partners:

Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Young Professionals Caucus (YPC) of the Midwest District Council (MDC)

The JACL Midwest District Council (MDC) is a multigenerational gathering of Japanese American leaders from across the Midwest that organize community action, share resources and knowledge to advocate for civil and human rights of all those affected by injustice and bigotry. It is also the first district to officially sponsor and have an officer of the JACL Young Professionals Caucus (YPC). The MDC is the largest district region of the JACL covering 20 states with chapters in Illinois (Chicago), Ohio (Cleveland & Cincinnati), Michigan (Detroit), Indiana (Hoosier), Texas, Nebraska (Omaha), Missouri (St. Louis), Minnesota (Twin Cities) and Wisconsin (Milwaukee).  Follow the JACL MDC instagram page @mdcjacl and JACL YPC @jaclypc

Founded in 1929, the JACL is the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights/social justice organization in the USA. The JACL has seven regional districts and is composed of over 100 chapters – including in Japan! Learn more about JACL National www.jacl.org

J-Talks: Godzilla Edition - Care & Consumption was inpsired by the Cultural Appreciation online series: Appreciation vs. Appropriation – a nuanced discussion on cultural ownership that was a collaboration between TCJACL (Twin Cities Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League) Social Justice Committee & Made By Yuki. Learn more, watch and listen to series on TCJACL's website: https://www.tcjacl.org/events/cultural-appreciation-discussion-series/

The J-Talks: Strengthening Ties Through Dialogue series centers around the themes of identity, social issues, cultural understanding and leadership, as experienced by JET alumni and individuals with meaningful connections to Japan. Launched in 2020, the JETAA Chicago webinars have highlighted topics such as Black Lives Matter Kansai, A Look Back to Move Forward: The Modern Day Importance of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Finding Japan in the Midwest and Mixed Multitudes: Mixed Race Identity in the US-Japan Community, Exploring Cultural Differences through Professional Wrestling, and more. Many of our J-Talks Webinars can be viewed and listened to via our JETAA Chicago YouTube Channel.

Additional Info:

  1. *For safety and security purposes please DO NOT share the direct video/zoom conference event link, numbers or passwords publicly.
  2. To create a supportive space for all and to respect and abide by JETAA Chicago chapter operations, data practices and Community Conduct & Agreements, all attendees must RSVP via Guestlist event.
  3. By registering and participating in the event, you consent to be photographed or recorded for historical, promotional and reference purposes.
  4. By RSVPing and providing your email address, JETAA Chicago may contact you in regards to this event and include you on future organizational communications.

Questions? Email info@jetaachicago.com.

Looking forward to having you join us the day of the event! ありがとうございます!

The JETAA Chicago Leadership

When

November 20, 2024
7:00 p.m.
to
November 20, 2024
8:00 p.m.
America/Chicago (-6:00)

Where

Online via Zoom

Tickets

  • JET Alumni
    Free
    Past & current participants of the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program
  • JACL Member/Affilitate
    Free
    Ticket for those who are members and/or affiliates of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)
  • Friend of JET/JACL (Public Ticket)
    Free
    Public ticket
Organized By

JETAA Chicago is the alumni association for past JET Programme participants that live in the Chicagoland area and two subchapter states of Wisconsin & Indiana. Majority of events and initiatives are for JET alumni, and there are some events that will indicate where the community and "Friend/Family of JET"(FOJ) are welcome to join. The JETAA Chicago Leadership Board can be contacted via email: info@jetaachicago.com For more frequently asked questions, go to https://www.jetaachicago.com/faq Thank you and let's #JETogether!

http://www.jetaachicago.com